[Music] I just need to get a thumbs up from the booth. We good? Okay. And I turned my mic on. That's helpful. Um I'd like to call the uh board of selectman meeting to order for September 9th um at 6:01 p.m. And we're going to start with the
pledge. I allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
All right, we have a few announcements tonight. Um, this meeting is being recorded by the local scene. Anyone intending to make an audio or video recording of this meeting should notify the chair at this time. And seeing nobody. Uh financial assistance applications are available on the town's
website or by calling the selectman's office for and we say this every week. Uh for anyone interested in volunteering, we have several uh vacancies on various committees and boards. To see a complete list of the openings, please visit our website at
kingstonmma.gov. And I'd like to point out uh our finance committee um is getting very low um on members. Um, we definitely need need some folks who would be interested in helping out. It's okay if you're not an expert at at finance. It helps if you
have a background. Um, but you certainly don't have to be an expert. You have to be willing to come and listen, have an open mind, deliberate, have some common sense, listen to people, listen to other people who have um, uh, that knowledge. Uh, but just be willing to to help out.
So, um, and and if anybody has any questions, please reach out to us, uh, the board of selectmen or any of the members of the finance committee. Um, we would be able to get you some additional information. Um, but we've got lots of, uh, vacancies on on various committees
and boards. Um, and we will be exploring doing like later on down down the road, maybe in the fall, doing like a volunteer fair, kind of similar to a job fair maybe, where we could have residents come in and talk to members of different boards to find out what we do
and um, assure you that it's not as overwhelming as it may seem. Uh, again, you don't have to be an expert. Um, all right. So, please check our website for any additional events or notices at kingston.gov. Uh we do have a tri board meeting with
the board of selectmen, Kingston school committee and the Kingston finance committee on Thursday, September 18th at 5:30 um in room 200. And then we have our fall town meeting on Tuesday, October 28th, 2025. Um and also due to a recent resignation
from the Kingston School Committee, the Kingston School Committee and the board of selectmen are seeking candidates interested in filling the open seat until the next town uh election in the spring of 2026. So, interested candidates must submit a letter of consideration and qualifications no
later than September 25th at 4 p.m. Um, please submit your information by mail to the Kingston uh Town of Kingston Board of Selectman, 26 Evergreen Street, Kingston Ma um 02364 or by email to ptucker
kingstonmma.gov. All candidates will be interviewed at a joint Kingston School Committee Board of um and board of selectman meeting on Tuesday, October 7th at 6:30 p.m. Uh have a couple more um announcements. The Kingston Fire Department is inviting
everybody to a 911 remembrance ceremony um this Thursday, September 11th, at 8:30 a.m. at the KFD headquarters at 105 Pemrook Street. Uh please join us in remembering those who lost their lives
on September 11th, 2001 and those who served in the highest tradition of public safety. Uh remember and honor. Uh lastly, uh the town of Kingston is working towards achieving an age and dementia friendly town designation. Um a
nation a nationwide initiative set forth by AARP aimed at creating a welcoming and more livable community for residents of all ages. Um, we have a survey. Uh, that survey is now available to the public. They're asking for participation in helping to identify the needs of the
community. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and is available in hard copy and electronically. Um, you please visit the town's website again, kingstonmma.gov, and click on the council and aging tab under our community and then there's a
liveable Kingston link on the on the left side and that's where you'll see a link to the survey. It's also on the homepage under the community um spotlights. You'll see a a sort of a permanent link on the lefth hand side um for Livable Kingston and the link to the
survey. Um that was a lot. Anybody else have any announcements? I forgot they were talking about that survey I believe at the COA meeting this earlier today and they were saying they've been they've gotten a lot of responses so it's great. Hopefully they'll get more. Hopefully. Anything else from anyone?
Okay. All right. Moving on. Uh, open form. Is anybody here to speak at open form? Thanks, Susan. Good evening. Am I on? I guess so. Susan Sherman. I've had the pleasure of living
at 215 Main Street for 40 plus years. A home which was built 221 years ago. Let's think about that for a second. Jefferson was in his first term as president. That's when Main Street was
nothing more than a cart path. Many homes and churches in this halfmile stretch are of the same era. It's arguably the heaviest traveled road the town of Kingston
is responsible for. Couple that with five churches and several other businesses and a lot of walking traffic. This is a large part of Kingston's history and I personally hope the
character will always be preserved. I wish to thank Shawn Turner, interim highway superintendent, Adam Duchet, highway foreman, and our town planner Valerie Msad. All of whom with others
ident identified the much needed sidewalk repair. this temporary repair along with the involvement of the engineers, I believe we will be on our way to applying for a grant to redo the
entire roadway this spring. Thank you, Sean, so much from the bottom of my heart and your department who has done a lot of hard work and a professional job. And there are several residents here, several who couldn't make it, but we w
really want to acknowledge you. Thank you. [Applause] Anybody else? All right. Um, moving up. We are going
to take We're going to take uh one item out of order and that is Yeah. No, I think they're just hoping we would take them first. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is the So this is uh number five, the notice of owner's intent to sell uh town's rights
of first refusal. Elm Street, map 63, lot 9. Um so the property on Elm Street um is currently uh Are we correct in assuming you wanted to speak about this item not at open forum? Correct. I would like to speak. Yes. Yeah, I'm not in I just wanted to make sure because they
were moving. I just want to ensure that they weren't trying to speak at open forum. Got it. Um, so the property at Elm Street is currently in chapter uh 61A, which offers a discount on the property taxes in exchange for the town having the right of first refusal when the property is taken out of chapter 61A.
The property owner is seeking to remove the property from chapter 61A to sell the property. The Kingston Conservation Commission is not interested in the in the property. However, the property um abuds the wildlands trust land and they are interested in acquiring the property and is requesting that the Kingston
board of selectmen transfer their authority to acquire the parcel to them. Uh council has been consulted and affirmed the wildland trust request is allowed. Um so Keith, is there anything to add before we ask them to speak? I don't think there is. Um
the uh the attorney for the Wildlands Trust is here if you have any questions for him. Um uh I met with the Wildlands Trust along with uh conservation agent Matt Panella um as as you mentioned in your comments
um attorney has reviewed the documents that you have in your board packet um finds them to be in order um and it's allow it's allowed simply to have the board of selectman transfer the town's rights to in this case the wildlands
trust. So, uh, with that, if if to ask him, uh, just need you at the at the microphone. It's merely because for the record it if you were at your seat can hear me you up. Yes. Yeah. My name is Ronald Marabet. I'm a
the co-owner of the property on Elm Street in question and the land across the street and across Sylvia Place. Um I just want to question the word aloud for the sake of this discussion and consideration. It is not required that
you do that. It is a choice that you will be making. Okay. So that just want to get that out there publicly. Um I may speak to this later. Can I will I be able to do that if I feel so or my daughter Dominique is here and uh my
wife Connie Marabet. Thank you. Um sure. Yeah. Thank you. Um Keith, was there anything else? I think you said no. No, I'm good. Thank you. Okay. All right, sir. Go ahead. Thank you. Uh good evening, Mr. Chairman. Uh m Mr. Clerk, uh members of
the board of selectmen. Thank you for having us tonight. My name is attorney John McCleskkey. My office address is 932 Main Street in Brockton. Um and uh I submitted to you u in accordance with Mass General Law Chapter
61A a request for you to wave the right of first refusal to purchase uh property uh known as assessor's parcel 63-9 on Elm Street in Brock in in uh
Kingston. and uh that's been under 61A for several years and is part of a larger parcel that is also uh across the street and and subject to 61A uh for variety of reasons. Um the
Marabets have decided to place this property on the market and have uh had it on the market for quite some time. Um adjacent to the property is property owned by the Wildlands Trust. And um we recently received a letter uh
from in indirectly from the town that was authored by the Wildlands Trust seeking to purchase the property and have the town exercise its right of first refusal and assign the the right to the
Wildlands Trust. That letter was uh dated September 4, 2005. And and we're all quite troubled by that letter. First of all, the letter outlines the fact that this
property is adjacent to 27 acres owned by the Wildlands Trust that is um in hazardous and poor condition. That's an an earththen dam that's on the Wildlands Trust property. and they cite
that residents could be dangerously impacted and they need to resolve what's going on with that dam to preserve the property and pro perhaps protect the residents. This has been going on I think at least for 10 years. And in that letter they
say basically we don't have any money to do that. So now along comes the Marabetts and they say well we want to buy your property. We want to have the town exercise its rights to first refusal and assign those
rights to us, but I don't think they have any money to buy the property, at least by history, and not repairing their own property, not maintaining their own property. It it's a it's a non-starter. Now, um the Wandlands Trust has an
obligation to enter into a purchase and sale agreement. They wrote the letter on September 4. Here it is 5 days later. We've never heard from them. I had to call them yesterday and was told that their lawyer would would reach out to me. Have not
heard from the lawyer and uh haven't seen a purchase and sale agreement. That purchase and sale agreement by statute is required and we have to enter into a an armslength transaction. Quite frankly, we're very leerary about
entering into an armslength transaction with an outfit that doesn't have any money and that they have to complete the transaction within 90 days. So, um the other thing is that in the letter of the Wlands Trust, it looks
like they want to use the property as a parking lot. Well, master no law chapter 61A says that you have to use at least 70% of it for agricultural recreational purposes under 61A. If they're turning it into a parking lot,
that doesn't sound like it's going to fulfill the requirements of 61A. We have a a a purchase and sale agreement with uh the Deonas to purchase this property and we're basically ready
to go. Uh we Mr. the Marabet family has agreed to finance the the property because that's financially uh in their best interest to do that and they'll take back uh paper and payments over a period of time. We're certainly not going to do that with a wildlands trust
if they say they don't have any money to pay for the property. So we're not going to enter into the same type of agreement with them. Um so basically we're asking you we've done a lot of due diligence on this property and one one other item is which
is important. Um, the letter of the Wance Trust, in my opinion, slanders the marketability of the Marabet property. They're telling you without any substance, without any
facts that this property, the Marabet property, is unbuildable. Well, in fact, in the record and and on the agenda tonight is is a um determination by the building department that it in fact is buildable. So, for
now, for the Wildlands Trust to come along and and publicly slander the marketability of the Marabet property, we're quite disturbed about that. So for all of these reasons, we would ask that the town of Kingston does not
exercise its right of first refusal and allows us to go forward with the purchase and sale agreement with the deonas as planned. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions. Uh does anybody have any questions at this point?
All right. And did you say we we do have the attorney here from Okay. Um I I we may ask questions afterwards, but a little So and unfortunately the microphones are only for the recording. It doesn't actually project into the room. So if
anyone needs to speak up, just let us know. Go ahead and just state your name. Yes. Good evening. Uh Dennis Murphy and I'm the uh attorney for Wildlands Trust. Uh I've done this sort of thing uh for
them for a number of years. We've had chapter properties in Middbor. We saved a 200 acre farm, the Picone Farm a couple of years ago. I just did one in Plymouth, a similar size parcel of land that's a golf course that will remain a
golf course at least for now. Um so I'm a little familiar with this having done it several times for wildlands and other conservation groups. and I wanted to just mention a few things in response to uh attorney McCcluskkey.
So um one of them is the kind of legal procedural process. Uh the way chapter 61A works is that if the board does not want the property for
the town, then you don't exercise your right of first refusal. uh you could in your judgment uh based on wildlands requests assign that right of first refusal and I've prepared a document to to that
effect. The process requires that I record that document. That assignment is an interest in land and it has to be recorded. Once it's recorded, the clock starts on when
Wildland steps into the shoes of buyer under the PNS. And then we have that uh period of time, 90 days as attorney McCcluskkey referenced to um tender a conforming PNS. And so we're we're not late in the
process. This is step one. And the first step for the board is to determine whether the town itself wants the property. and we don't want to step in front of the town. If if the town wants it, then uh so be it. Uh if the town doesn't, Wildlands does, and I think for
valid reasons. So, one is um the chapter land purpose, we have no intention of developing the property. any parking lot is going to be less than 30% of the area of the parcel. Um that is uh allowed
under chapter 61A. Um and it will be subject to a permanent conservation restriction uh in perpetuity. So that's the way the statute works. U this was adopted 50
years ago in the 70s as a way to try to protect land. And I think you all probably know, you've dealt with 61A before. The benefit is you pay less tax and uh on the back end uh you have the right of first refusal to buy a a parcel of land that's in chapter when it comes
up for sale. Um and I don't know if the board has experience in assigning these uh because I represent conservation groups. That's the only way we acquire land through chapter is it first has to be assigned. And just to be really
clear, the way to assign it is to assign the right of first refusal uh before you exercise it. And then I record that notice of assignment. And then separately, Wildlands Trust will record a different document once the
board votes, not this board, once my board wildlands trust board votes to acquire the property, we'll record a notice of exercise ourselves. So, it's a two-step process. We're right here at step one. And the first thing is, does
the town want the land? And if they don't, Wildlands would very much appreciate having it. We have the um the use for it. uh we will keep it consistent with chapter 61A uh as required under the statute and uh it
will be preserved with a conservation restriction on at least 70% of it in perpetuity in its natural state. So uh happy to answer questions. That's any questions. Just just to clarify for
people who aren't familiar with the 61A first right of refusal process, whether the town exercises the first right of refusal or if we passed it to Wildman's Trust and Wildman's Trusted, they still have to pay the full market value of the property. Correct.
Uh yes. So the um the purchase and sale which I have a copy of I think the purchase price for this parcel is 250,000 and I know there was a question about um
you know the ability to pay I can tell you wildlands trust has a portfolio of properties worth many tens of millions of dollars. My middle brow transaction was 6.2 2 million. I was 750 short going
into closing and an angel donor showed up and made it up overnight. So, we absolutely positively have the money. I don't have it in the trunk of my car. Uh but 250, yeah, I I think we're good for that. So, you match the purchase and sale is
what you're saying. We follow the statute. So, uh, you know, just like you as a buyer, if the town were to proceed, would have your own appraisal and do your own due diligence, we will do the same thing. And if that
is a the term in the statute is bonafideed offer. If that is determined to be by the appraisal and the uh experts a bonafideed offer, then sure, that's that's what the law requires and that's what we would do.
And that's just what we've done in the other properties where Wildlands Trust has been assigned a right of first refusal and gone on to purchase and save those farms and different properties. And if you could remind us of the timeline associated with the process.
Yeah, it's a little complicated for my students. I actually have a little checklist. I I teach at TUS. I didn't bring my my checklist, so I'm doing it from memory. I've got the statute in front of me, but Okay. So, uh, 61A section 14. Mhm.
Within 30 days, you have to give notice of any deficiency. Uh and then you have a once you have a uh non-deficient notice you have to convene a public hearing
and within 120 days you have to either exercise or not that right of first refusal or in this case assign it. If you assign it then the asenee which in this case would
be wildlands trust has 90 days to close on a transaction uh by the statute. So that's basically the time frame and I think this notice was just a month ago in in August. So
we're really in early days here. Uh my my hope is that this is not like a 200 acre farm uh with multiple encroachments that needed to be solved. That was uh
that was recorded land which is much harder to fix encroachments. So uh my hope is that this could be streamlined and done very quickly. And the good news is if you do assign the right of first refusal, you can wash your hands of it. that the town's out and Wildlands will
take it from there. Well, we still have concerns about the folks obviously that that are living there now and and wanting to sell their land. So, just keeping that in your mind, too. We're also thinking about them as well and the impact on them and not wanting to, you know,
drag our feet or make the process long. So, that's of course part part of the reason I'm asking about the timeline is I understand when someone has a sale on the table, they'd like to move things along. So, I just wanted to be clear about the timing. And there's there's no delay uh intended. Uh in Middleboro, the
owner actually wanted to stay, so we arranged for that. We we are not we own property. Uh we don't have any intention of building, and I'm happy to work with the owners um and their council to make this a very smooth and easy transaction.
Any other questions? I just had a question about the fish ladders and the dam that you spoke about. Um, I know that that fish ladder is on the wet your property currently, but there is another section of it that is behind your property. Would that be a
problem? Oh, you're asking a lawyer a fish ladder question? I' I've been there. I know exactly what you're talking about. It's been a long time since I've been back there, but there's two sets. There's one up top and then there's one at the bottom. Yes. So, um, can you talk about just one
second? Yeah. Matt, do you can you shed any light? A conservation agent is here and maybe knows a bit about the fish ladders. I'm curious because the dam is a problem and it's a problem. You might know something for that property.
So, um my knowledge is more based on the Sylvia Pond dam issue. I'm not sure the ones that are I know there's like a sleuth way that goes through there that goes uh behind the Marbet property into Souls Pond. Um What I know from Wildlands Trust is
that they're working on removing the dam. It is considered a high hazard dam. They did get a demand letter to have that removed and they are fundraising that. Um we've actually applied for some grants with them, you know, to do similar work. um there was some sort of
an access issue there where this particular property was the main way to access during construction but also to for long-term management of the slle way where or like the fishway after construction is done. Um I can't speak to whether there will be any issue with
those um concrete lines loose ways going through there. Um only that I think wild trust having that obviously would be more helpful towards getting you know restorative connectivity back there. Um and it wasn't mentioned earlier but the
conservation commission did vote in support of uh the board transferring it. Right. Any more questions for me? No. Thank you. Thanks. have some information on that. Um, sure. Go ahead. I'd like to comment as well. Can I go
ahead? Um, I don't come across these things every day. So I have to read the statute and and what I see in the statute if we have a bonafidey offer which I've
certified to you and you agree to exercise your rights under the right of first refusal. You have to pay what we have for an offer. Mr. Murphy said sort of what they then would do would go out
and get an appraisal. That's not what the statute says. The statute only says that they have the right to do that in the case of an intended uh conversion not involving a sale. At that point, they have the whoever
exercised the rights or had the right of first refusal would have the right to go out and do an appraisal. But I believe what Mr. Murphy told you was not correct. They don't have the right to go out. We have a bonafide purchase and sale agreement. We've submitted it to you. It's for $250,000.
If they want to buy the property, they got to buy it for $250,000 cash money. He may not have it in the trunk of his car and he might not have an angel waiting in the wings. Uh we don't know that. So,
what I'm telling you again, it it goes further and further uh to support my belief that what's going on here is that they're going to try to they they've slandered the marketability of this property and they're telling you that we don't think it's a buildable lot and
therefore we don't think that it's it's worth $250,000. That's not what the statute says. We have a we have a family that wants to buy this property for $ 250. We have a certified purchase and sale agreement. That's the price. He doesn't have the
right to go in and undermine that. Go ahead. I want to address Selectman Baitman's inquiries about the fish ladder. Uh in 1987 the uh Jones River Watershed Association was established in the town of Kingston. We signed our purchase and
sale agreement to buy what is now the Marabet Farm in 1985. I began to serve the comm community among other ways as a chairman and a president of the Jones River Wershed Association which established in its mission statement to
restore uh fishways among other things. So I have a 35 year history of working on those fish ladders. Also have uh since 1985 uh an experience of working that farm as
an organic farm because uh we knew and I see Mr. Kus here. We knew that the abuing property across the street was the town's wells. So we chose to manage that in the most difficult way possible organically
from then until now. We have never put any as a public service we have never put any toxic material on that property. We have been doing in the marketplace conservation and preservation and sustainable behaviors at the difficulty
of being a farmer. The other thing that wasn't mentioned and then I'll get right to the fish ladder thing specifically is that uh 61A was established not just to set up a relationship with the board of selectman and the farmers. It was to
allow food production in the town for its citizens and give the farmers a little help. It was what uh big agriculture calls the subsidy. we got a tax break so we could sell millions of organic blueberries to the people of
Kingston and around and we did we performed on that over these years. Okay. Um for the fish ladders all along the way there were a number of initiatives the wildlands trust participated in some the Jones River wershed association
participated in others and I will tell you that when we purchased that property we were deed the right to practice hydraological energy pres production in that stream contiguous to this parcel.
We never exercised it. We never intended to. We didn't think it was a sustainable practice that it would it would inhibit our goal to reestablish the fish way. So, but we had the right to do it. Just because you have the right to do something doesn't mean you have to
exercise it. You have the right to not do it. And finally, the under the culvert on that parcel where that little fish layer I just referred to is is another fish run that goes down to a culvert onto Elm Street, which was the
result of the uh the uh Sacred Heart Schools uh lobbying for the construction of Elm Street so that they wouldn't have to drive around on Sylvia Place Road or Indian Pond Road to get down there from Boston. So they filled that pond and cut
it in half. The state of Massachusetts, but this was 1933. This was, you know, that was the way it was then, right? So that little fishway is bordered on both sides by two other parcels by one other parcel that the
Marabet farm owns. So So to directly tell you about if you're referring to the one above Sylvia Place Road, that's what I know about that. that we've we've written letters in support of and done lots of work to assist public, state
agencies, uh, foundations to reestablish the fish runs up there. And on the other side of the cover, we've practice organic agriculture to preserve that fish supply any way we could. Okay. So, um, and so since I'm here, I'll just say
the last thing that that's important to me. Consider your vote here. I used I was on the board of selectment. I know where you're sitting. They're all hard. They're all difficult competing interests, right? Um, and when you made the pitch for all the different agencies
that are looking for help, I bet I served on half of them over my time here. So, I know what's at stake here and I know how the process works. Um, but you might want to consider that there's an aging population in the town
of Kingston right now clutching onto their little their pieces of property that they've gone to work every day to pay the mortgage on and pay the taxes on for years and years and years. And that these are the property rights guaranteed under federal and state statute,
constitutional law that are at stake here. our right to use our property freely. It's constitutionally guaranteed. And it's our right to to do that. And and I want you to consider the message that
you will be sending to seniors who are coming along to where we are in life and they have this property and they may want to subdivide it and get something to help them with whatever they need help with or for their estate or whatever. Okay. What is the message you
are sending to them? And finally, what is the message you're sending to young people who can't possibly find a piece of h housing because of the housing shortage? We had uh uh an engineering
firm, highly reput reputable Grady Engineering engineer this lot to downsize that house on a small footprint. We conformed with the environmental sensitive area uh requirements and all. We went through
the process. I spent some thousands of dollars, we did of our family treasure to get this to the state and to see it in writing in a public document that it is an unbuildable lot after that effort and expenditure. It's quite offensive.
I mean, I've tried to play by the rules. We try to play by the rules, but to come in and use that to denecrate the efforts and the work and the sacrifices of my family, I'm offended. So anyway, that's Thank you very much for hearing me, for asking the question.
I appreciate what you're up against. Thank you. Any other uh could I just respond? Uh so I'll read directly from the statute chapter 61A section 14. During the 120day period,
the city or town or its asenees shall have the right at reasonable times and upon reasonable notice to enter upon the land for the purpose of surveying and inspecting said land, including but not limited to soil testing for purposes of
title 5 and the taking of water samples. So, the statute explicitly gives us the rights to do due diligence just as the town would have. I mean, I read it word for word. Um, I have no intention of trying to nickel and dime or bargain.
Certainly wouldn't do it in a public hearing, but I also don't want to say unequivocally the price is the price. if the surveyor goes out and finds an encroachment or they find hazardous waste or or who knows what. Uh there was
no intention to denigrate. Uh the letter that my client submitted is from the executive director of a nonprofit. She's not a zoning attorney like me. Uh it's a halfacre lot. So in her eyes, it's not
buildable. And I don't think there was any harm intended to suggest that in the letter. Notwithstanding that the building commissioner has reached a different decision under some pretty arcane rules
uh that a a lay person wouldn't necessarily know. So that's all. Thank you. Did you have something else to add? Okay. Go ahead and then we'll wrap it up. I don't disagree with the right to enter
the property, take measurements, see what's there, but that doesn't say anything about changing the price. End of story. All right, any questions? So, and just to be clear, and Keith,
correct me if I'm wrong, but once we assign it, if we assign it, once we assign it, the town is out of this, then it's between Wildlands Trust and then the owners. Um, so any price issues? I
mean, I'm assuming that if if you came back and said it's it's worth 200, they're insisting it's 250, then then what what happens? Do you bow out? I mean, they would still have to accept the offer, but how how does that work? So, does that go to a land court?
Uh, there's a statutory process that if there's a disagreement, appraisers, you get a third appraiser. That may only be in the in the in the case of a conversion. Um, I've never had it happen and I don't foresee that
happening. uh you know, people uh squabble over the purchase of land all the time. Um that's not the business we're in. We're successful in holding uh land in 50 different municipalities in the southeast of Massachusetts because
we have a good group of uh donors and we're able to access grant money so that we can acquire land for public use and preservation. Uh so this is a relatively small transaction and I really don't foresee any issue over the price.
Okay. All right. Any other questions? No. I think Matt, did you say conservation supported the transfer? Yeah. Okay, they did. All right. So, if there's no questions, does anybody want to make a motion? I actually have a question.
I hate to ask you to go back up there again. Sorry. where that's all right. Sometimes they do. We started um getting the approval for this lot
uh a year and a half ago. It was uh ruled as a buildable lot on January 7th of 2025 after engineering where they did the soil surveys and all of this stuff. And
I have a well on the property which tested the water and I've tested over the years. So this they can go in and do whatever they want but the net effect of that will be delay delay delay
and time is an issue and so um is that is your motion whatever motion you make is I believe there is a condition or the lack of of opposition to the notion that you can put a performance bond or
something on them that if they don't perform form in the time frame you can get it back and then sign it off or we can be guaranteed the total amount of money somehow. Is there any way to you to for you to re rewrite that motion to
protect us in the interest of time because they could go on and on with I don't see it in the statute. I mean essentially what's before us this evening is do we want to exercise our right of first refusal? If not, do we want to just say we're
waving it or do we want to say we're waving it and giving it to the Wildlands Trust? That's that's really the question. That's really the only thing that I can see. I mean, I don't think our town council's on there. You can't put a condition on. I don't believe so based on what I'm
reading here. Based on what I'm getting here, um Matt's raising his hand, though. Go ahead, Matt. You should probably sit closer. That's right. I want to sit next to Sean. Um maybe um a lawyer can can clarify for
me, but my understanding of it is there's the 120day right of first refusal and then there's once an action is taken on that and that can happen before the 120 days is up, there's a 90-day clock. And if I'm not wrong,
Wildland's trust would have 90 days to complete the transaction. If they don't complete the transaction, then they get to do whatever they want. And how far into the 120 days are we right now? It doesn't matter. So if we vote tonight, No, no, no. But how far into it are we like less than 30?
Yes. So 35 30 35 more than 30 days. I believe the document August. It's stamped on one of those. Mid August. Mid August. Yeah, it was August.
I don't have it in front of me. Sorry. It was first within the first two weeks of August. What's today's date? The 9th. So the presumably so it's roughly town is moving quickly on this for a town. For a town. I mean, we're not at day 110 is my
So, our attorney uh attorney Leiden um is um in the Zoom, although she may not have been here for this item for a different for a different item. Um but did you pop on because you have something to say about this, Attorney Leen?
Um I was just making myself available if you do have a question for me. Um I haven't completely been following so I don't have the documents in front of me. Um I know that I know a little bit about right of first
refusals. If if you do have a question about it um the town has to exercise its right including a town meeting vote within that window. So, um, Liz, the question before us is, uh, so we have a conservation agency,
um, that is interested in purchasing the property, which would mean they're asking the board of selectment to wave our first drive refusal, but rather transfer it to them. Oh, assign it. Correct. So, the question being asked by the person trying to sell the property was whether we could condition that so that
they didn't get stuck in a long drawn out process. So it wouldn't be conditioned. It would be you would be assigning it and then they would have to exercise within the the same window.
So if they don't exercise within that window, then that assignment would would be moot. So question for the board. Are there any other questions or are we ready to make a motion? Questions. Okay. Why don't we go ahead and just
make a motion? Can I make one comment? If if it's quick. Yep. We'll be quick. Uh we don't agree with exercising your right or assigning it, but if that were to occur, uh that we would request a stipulation that it
be assigned with the understanding that the price does not move. I don't think we have the legal ability to do that. Did somebody want to make the price cannot move? If if it's exercised, it has to be exercised for the exact price. That's what that means. So,
did anybody make a motion? I move the board of selectmen elect to not exercise but assign the town's first refusal option to purchase certain land owned by Dominique Marbette Trust um of property located at Elm Street map 63
lot 19. Further, I move pursuant to general law chapter 61A uh section 14 to assign the town's right of first refusal to the Wlands Trust and to authorize the town administrator to take any actions that are required to effectuate such assignment.
Do I have a second? Second. All right. All those in favor I I I and against I. What? I said I Okay. And those against? I'm a no. Okay. So, it's 41. it did pass. So,
thank you to everybody who did show up tonight and thank you for um listening to everything that everybody had to say. So, I appreciate it. Mr. Chair, I I hate to slow this meeting down. C can we take a couple of minutes just to sign the Yes. sign the document
and have it be um notorized by our deputy town clerk? I got a copy. Just for clarity sake, what is the next thing that happens? So now Wildland's Trust has to do their thing, but what does that look like timewise? So what's the deadline for you guys
next? 90 days within the 120. That's already started. Y we would have to give the assignment. Oh, I'm sorry. We would have to record the assignment at the registry.
Then I have to get I got to go back. the Wildlands Trust Board to vote to buy it, okay? At their next meeting, whatever that is. Then we have to give a notice of exercise and record that. And when I give the notice of exercise, it goes
with a forming PNS to attorney McCcluskey and then we have 90 days to close. So that 120day clock started when we were notified of the PNS. Yes. So it's not today, it's whatever date that was. whenever you August.
So they so they took over the clock. Yes, they took over the clock from us. It doesn't start over today. It's whenever they submitted the purchase and sale. August. Okay. Okay. So, so 120 days to do that. You could do it before then, but it could be within
that 120day window. Then there's that 90day. Yes. Okay. Okay. So, that's within seven months total from whenever you receive the notice. Within seven months. That's 210 days.
Excuse me. 120 days is four months and then 90 days. 120 days is three months. Four months. Four months. Four months. And then 90 days is three months. No, that's only No, the clocks.
Hold on. Hold on. This isn't going to We don't This has nothing to do with us. Unrelated. This isn't It doesn't change any of the motion. the motions made and passed. So, whatever the actual dates are, you guys got to work that out and work it out with the court. It has nothing to do with us,
right? But the clock just we did this with Winthre Street. So, I just want to make sure that the people who live in this town are clear clear on what the process is is there's a 120day clock. Then once that is finished, the 90-day clock starts, but it could be before that. They could do it tomorrow, right? And then the 90-day clock starts. It's
just it's whenever that next step. Yes. And we the last when we did it, it took a lot longer because it was during co Yes. Okay. So copy this for us. Okay. So we're going to move actually
I'll I'll just give Keith a couple minutes to make a copy before we move on. And what we're going to do is we're going to jump to number four. This is the um because we have attorney Leiden here and and she's going to be talking to us about the Kingston cannabis uh social equity policy.
So as soon as Keith comes back then we'll do that. So we taking a pause? Yeah. So it's not Did you say to take a pause? No, I didn't. Do you want to? Yeah. Why don't we're going to do a pause for about two minutes.
No. No. We're going to headshake. Okay. No, we're not pausing. Okay, we're not pausing. Just kidding. Thanks for taking Sure. All right. Officially recess. What's that? Is that a recess? Uh, well, that's fine. Yeah, perfect.
Yeah, two minutes. We're doing uh four next. We are back uh in session and we're going to take a couple items out of order. Uh first up, we're going to go to number six on our agenda. It's a consideration of a no parking signs on Main Street at the crosswalk in front of
the First Parish Church. Bob Costa is representing the First Parish Church, requesting the board uh purchase and install two no parking between the signs to be placed on both sides of the crosswalk on the First Parish Church side of the street of 222 Main Street. A
distance of 20 ft on each side of the crosswalk would be identified as no parking consistent with traffic standards. This request will assist people crossing the street. Interim Superintendent Sean Turner stated the price of the signs would be approximately $280. And is and you we
have that in the budget. He said yes. Yes. And so he said yes, we do have that in the budget. Uh Bob, did you want to say anything? Yeah, just take a minute or two. Uh first of all, I want to com commend Sean Turner and his crew for what a fabulous job they did doing the sidewalk in front
of First Parish. it was a um hazard and he came and and met with us, recognized the hazard and it was done before our first uh church service in September. So, I want to thank him very much for that effort. Um we know we have an issue
where the crosswalk is because you can park on that side of the street. We have handicap parking and if anybody parks close too close to the sidewalk then cars can't see somebody ready to cross the street and it's not as much of a problem on a Sunday because the sun's
out but we have frequent things going on at night at church and I've been there with a flashlight and it's it's flatout dangerous. So, if we were if we can put no parking signs on either side of the crosswalk, no parking between between the signs, then
there'll be enough distance from the cars to the people crossing and it'll be a significantly safer situation. I think Sean, you agreed with me, right? Any questions, comments, or motions? I can make a motion. I move the board of
suckmen approve the request from the first parish church to purchase and install two no parking between the sign signs to be placed as described this evening at the crosswalk at 222 Main Street. Second. Hold on. Could I just ask a huge favor?
Would there be any willingness at all to split the cost the $280 cost? The reason I as the reason I ask that is we have we have spent a significant amount of money on um signs for school uh school zones things of that nature we didn't anticipate.
Um and so um any assistance that you would be willing to provide to us would be very very appreciative. How about if we split it? That's what I say. Yeah. Split it 140. I think that's fair and reasonable. I know and you've done an awful lot of work so I'm not going to complain.
every time I walk up that path to the church. Thank you. You don't forget to bless Sean on Sunday. All right. So, um did do we need to change the motion? Nope. It's fine. Okay. Thank you. All right. Um so, all those in favor
I against. It was an all I I think that was fine. I was just quiet. Sorry. I Okay, he mouththed it. Oh jeez. All right. Now, we're going to jump back to number four, I believe. So, this is the discussion and possible vote on a
Kingston cannabis social equity policy. Um, we we talked about this at at our prior meeting and we postponed it so that we could have all five um board of selectmen here to discuss it. Um, this is something that we have to create by
state law that we have to have a policy in place. um Attorney Leiden or Ke somebody came up with the um sample one that we got today. It was not me. I can assure you of that. Uh I've been working with Attorney Leiden who's been spoon feeding me
information because that seems to be about the the uh speed I can handle at this point. But um we put together uh with the with the help of of Liz, we put together um a policy that um
was me that mirrors the town of Lee, Massachusetts, which was an which was an example that um um the selectman Emberg had provided to us. Um Liz had added the last paragraph to it that basically is
one of the two options the town has. Uh the other being town a town meeting vote if I'm not mistaken, Liz, uh to um to uh have this policy uh be be put in place uh legally. Uh so we the the thought was
to have it be a board of selectment, bring it forward in front of the board of selectment, have you vote on it uh if you're willing to do so um and uh use that paragraph for that purpose rather than bringing it to a town meeting. So, one of my questions is um the the first
clause or whatever in this it says to encourage greater participation um there will be an exclusive period of six months limiting the availability of the HCA to qualifying social equity and e economic empowerment applicants. I don't
like that. I I I don't like having six months just that. Do we have to have that by law in in our policy number one or do we not need that? So
my understanding is that you have two licenses and so if another one becomes available um and you adopt the policy whereby you're um accepting social equity applicants on a 1:1 ratio then that
period would ensure that the policy is followed. So, and what Keith was saying before is that paragraph that is at the bottom of this policy, um, as a step two, after you adopt a social equity policy, the
town also needs to either adopt a model bylaw put out by the CCC and that would require the town meeting vote or um follow this route where you can simply include that sentence in your policy and by adopting the policy um you're
fulfilling that next step. So I may be confused. What is a onetoone process? Meaning one can be non-social equity but the other one has to be. Yes. So for every um HCA that you'll
sign with a marijuana establishment, every other one has to be um with a social equity applicant until such time as 50% of your licenses are social equity. Keith, go ahead. Just a couple of questions, Liz. Um,
so and just for the board's context, the town of Kingston has two cannabis licenses. One has been issued and a store is is up and operational and has been for the better part of four years. The other license has been issued, but nothing has occurred. Uh I don't have
the exact date in front of me, but there's a a date later on, I believe in 2025 where uh if any pro if no process or progress, excuse me, has been made, um that license uh is surrendered and and the town of of Kingston can then
offer that license to um another a another uh organization that might be interested in in opening a a cannabis store. So my question to you, Liz, is looking down the road that second
license opens up. Um, we can we advertise it that it's available if if if a group that is not um that is not uh fall into that social
equity portion does not apply. we can we can then move forward with somebody who doesn't fall into the social equity policy. Is that fair to say, right? So then why even have one? This doesn't make any sense to me. I'm sorry, but this doesn't make any sense to me. So
I think it's I think it's the law the state law that probably doesn't make any sense. But so the state law says that every other one has to be. But you just now you just said that if nobody applies then we have somebody else apply then we can give it to them. But that if the state law says that every other one has
to go to one, then that would mean that we'd have to leave it open. Sorry. No, the state law says you have to adopt um either the model bylaw or that 1:1 ratio. And so to comply with that policy that says you'll adopt um
that you will award HCAs to social equity applicants um on a 1:1 ratio. Another way to comply with that policy is to say that for six months you'll hold off on awarding an HCA and if you
don't receive any social equity applicants um interest then you would you could award to a general applicant. So is is the six months period defined in state law or are we just coming up with that? That was in the regulations and the
model um that the CCC put out. Okay. So are are we allowed to not select anyone from candidates that apply? You it's still discretionary under case law and so you don't have to award any HCAs. So essentially if you don't like any of
the candidates you can just you don't have to or you can't come to an agreement on a host agreement because that's that's negotiated as well. Yeah. And then at the end of six months it's open to anyone. I I I if I heard you correctly, and I
just and I'm sorry if I didn't, but if I heard you correctly, if you if you open it up for an application or for for a potential uh awarding of a cannabis license um and you don't and somebody who um
falls under the social equity um parameters applies, you can't wait six months, not award it to them, and then award it to somebody else. if they're if what she what I think Liz is saying is if you open this up and say that you
have until uh October 1st to apply to submit an application to uh be awarded a cannabis license and 6 months later April 1st nobody has right or or the only person that has is
somebody outside that does not qualify for the social equity equity parameter then you can award it to that person. But you cannot if a if a if a candidate comes in who who qualifies under the social equity policy, if they're if
they're eligible, you have to award that license to them if you award it to anybody. Now, to Liz's point, you don't have you the borders. The license in my mind is an asset to the town of Kingston. The town of Kingston can decide whether or not it
wants to utilize that asset. The town of Kingston receives revenue from the sale of marijuana from uh the existing ongoing business that is currently in in Kingston. It's a revenue source potentially for the town of Kingston. But if they chose to not take advantage
of that potential revenue source um and hold on to that second license, you absolutely have the right to do that. I will also say that if you award to a social equity applicant, you not only get the 3%, you get an additional 1% of
their sales and um taxes. So treat the applicant you get to treat the applicant equitably, but we can take one more percent from them. So that's so we can give a license to someone who who could opposite of equitable. So we have to give a license to somebody
who has previously potentially served jail time. There's a large and who's dealing with a cash a cash all cash business to give us three four%. So again I what I all I my I love it my limited dealing and and maybe the
chief knows knows more my limited dealing with the the the cannabis commission is challenging to deal with very very tight oversight. So I I I get the fact that you know it's it's you're cracking me up. I'm I'm trying not to. This is like LA.
Like we don't have any violence. I mean like what what is going on with the state? I don't know, man. Do we want to pass this policy or what? What are we doing? I don't care. Make a motion. If I could if before the board makes a motion and I think Liz raised this a
couple weeks ago, the CCC can find communities. They have not done that yet if they don't adopt this. So we don't know what the fine structure may be. So uh again, this is the hill. I'm dying on. I just want to make sure the board's aware that uh or
smoking on for that matter. Um but um I just want to make sure the board is aware that that if a policy is not adopted, there is a risk of some sort of fine that we have that has not been defined yet. So, so just to quickly clarify kind of what you brought back to me is
we can't just open it in six months, but we have the right to keep saying no to applicants we don't want and then that just six months kind of just keeps getting pushed further and further back, right? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, but we we can say no to someone we don't want. You can say So, the reality is is you
can get an application that could potenti Liz, correct me if I'm wrong, um you can get an application from someone that potentially fits under this policy. You still have to negotiate a host community agreement regardless of who applies. But the idea I think is that you
prioritize anyone who fits under those categories, which I fundamentally philosophically have a problem with or equally as long as we can actually use as long as this protects us from being fine, but we can still actually treat the applicants equally unlike
this. So the and it's important I guess it's important for the board to recognize you know you the town of Kingston has established a host community agreement with the organization that's already here. So we have no Liz correct me if I'm wrong but basically that's the that's the benchmark
that we would have to negotiate by right with a second uh license potential license holder. So um they would have to they would be held to the same level of of responsibilities
uh with the in the in the the terms of the agreement. So when that gets released, it doesn't it wouldn't be renegotiated. It'll be renegotiated, but we have an existing um existing establishment that has a host community agreement. And the terms of that host community agreement have to
be at least um be as they have to they have to match uh I guess if and be as costly potentially to the applicant but no more costly. Uh it can't be better or worse for for whoever that second license holder would be. The terms have to be
basically the same. So, I will just say I I don't like the Well, I think everybody knows how I feel, but I also appreciate attorney Leiden for taking the time for two meetings coming here and to try to help us come up with something. And Keith, I nobody thinks
I'm frustrated with you because it's not you, it's what you're saying and it's our state. It's that's where my frustration is. But I also agree. I mean, I I'm leaning more towards voting for something only even though I just don't want to, but because I do know
that this state also has a history of of um punishing extortion with uh dealing with cities and towns in Massachusetts. Um and how many sounds like we can still kind of control it. Yeah. And it's not worth I don't we're not in a position to start getting fined.
No, no. Once once I mean once the once the the second license uh once that agreement expires my suggestion would be the board have a conversation if you want to and decide whether you want to want to offer that license up to inter individ interest
interested parties or not. Um okay if this goes through as is can I ask that it be changed from select board to board of selectmen please? Sorry about that. Yes. It was a model we used. I know. We're just not there.
All right. So, does anybody want to make a motion? I move the board of selectmen adopt the recommended cannabis social equity policy presented this evening. Second. All right. All those with the modification. With the modification. Yeah. Um, so all those in favor I
I I I reluctantly. Absolutely not. Thanks, Liz. Four to one. Welcome. Thanks, Liz. There's probably really two to three because you and I were probably ns, but
all right. So, now we're going backwards again um to number two. Uh request for opioid settlement funds from uh the police department. So, um Chief Holmes is requesting the use of opioid settlement fund balances balance monies to
establish a regional family services unit of the police department. um received notification that we um got a grant funding a licensed mental health clinician and as previously discussed those this would be a shared resource between Kingston, Plimpmpton and Halifax
but overseen by Chief Holmes. The opioid funds would be used for office space benefits and health insurance as well as other expenses that may arise. Uh the proposed health division is a significant step forward for the growth and development of police department. Chief Holmes will be meeting with DMH in midepptember to discuss steps toward
operation operationalizing the program. Chief, go ahead. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good evening, honorable members. Mr. Hickeyi, uh, you summarized it well. Uh, that there are two different grants at play here. U, one's a grant, one is opiate settlement. The grant is the jail
diversion program through the Mass Department of Mental Health. It covers the salary benefits and the full insurance for what would become full-time Kingston employee. uh yet serving uh three different towns, Plimpmpton and Halifax. Uh the grant for DMH also covers the administrative
oversight uh in a clinical sense. They pay for a contract that we would enter into with um an agency that does like the oversight portion of it like somebody that's supersedes um a licensed mental health clinician. Um there are
some things built into this grant that would cover overtime costs for callouts and that is the grant side of it through jail diversion. Um the opiate settlement funds I put a recommended motion in there that would include the current
balance and uh future funds to support the program but not exclusively the program. Uh it would be startup costs include an office space, furniture, a computer, phone. Um and if the board uh earmarks this and it
falls under the police department, uh I would be required under the um opiate settlement fund recommended usage is to have public input. And in that public input, uh, basically it would be, I mean, anybody that I mean I'd work with the board to see what you're comfortable
with, but ideally town administrator, selectman, um, town accountant, um, public health, a member of the public, a member of Plymouth County Outreach, people that have a vested interest in seeing how this program works, uh, to basically help guide us
through for the use of these funds going forward. Um the town accountant is required to file, I believe, an annual report of the use of the funds back to the state. Uh the the opiate settlement funds come from a class action lawsuit and it trickled down through the state.
Um the grant through the department of mental health is funded fully through the state's uh budgetary process. It was originally cut down from about 22 million to 2 million in the original um governor's original return of the budget. Uh after a lot of pressure to
reinstate the funding, it's at about 19 million. Um what happens with the uh the grant through the Department of Mental Health is agencies and cities and towns that have a clinician through the grant receive first preference when it comes
up to the next fiscal year to renew the grant. Uh so what we would be receiving would be uh basically a prrated probably November through June 30th for the remainder of the fiscal year that would fund this personnel position and then
probably around March we'd have to apply for a um renewal of the grant. Uh the coordinator has has basically said that she's got a goal to extend the program for a decade. Uh, another question that came up in speaking with some of you is
what happens if it doesn't get funded? Well, then the town has a choice. It's either cut the program and end it or collaborate with Plimpmpton, Halifax, and us to fully fund the position. I've seen it go both ways. um people that apply for these positions
on a grant, they know that they're taking a risk going into that. Um because they know that they're on a grant and it's subject to state funding and appropriation or in some cases federal funding like Plymouth County Outreach is, you know, kind of hurting for money right now um because the the
program didn't get fully funded again. Uh the balance according to the accountant for what's in opiate special revenue fund or opiate settlement fund is 134859.11. But the board about a maybe a month or
six weeks ago voted to transfer some of that money I think 17,000 uh to the fiduciary of Plymouth County Outreach which is East Bridgewater. We were waiting to hear back on um what actually needed to be done, you know, when and
how. So none of that's been taken out of that balance of 13485911. Uh this estimated annual payments ends in the year fiscal 38. So um that's it in a nutshell. I mean it's I talked about it a little bit
today at the department heads meeting received positive feedback. U this is not just something that is for the police. This is actually something that's a resource for the community. Uh it was it would obviously be housed at the Kingston Police Department, but um you know, I would talk about partnerships with the school and who
they have on staff for their adjustment counselors and any kind of, you know, uh people that work in that line of work. uh because when we go to these calls in a co-response model and the clinician is going with the police or following up the next day um you know you have students that are affected the state has
I mean the the school has a protocol for keeping an eye on kids that have been involved in a traumatic event um happy to work with the veterans agent council on aging um we would you know we would be working with the courts so the clinician would be a link to the court because we do a
lot of section 35s and we'll do a lot of section 12s and the co-response model. Um, you know, if the if the person who's doing the work as a clinician is working, ideally it would be 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. or some sort of shift like that.
Um, because a lot of the stuff happens in the afternoon hours, but there may be times where it's like we had a bad one, you need to come in and there was some uh provision in the grant for overtime for that purpose. So, uh, happy to answer any questions. I think I covered everything. I I sent in
an email in response to the town administrator um that I I think would be helpful if it was shared with you. But I mean the timeline if uh if the board approves this tonight is the approval of the ear marking would be to tonight. DMH operational assessment one to two weeks
from now. Intermunicipal agreements two to four weeks. So we'd have to do an IMA had a preliminary discussion with attorney Federoff about doing that uh and the purpose of it. office space acquisition. Uh we'd be ordering within two to five weeks, but it's a 15w week
wait time. And I'll add to a little more to that in a minute. Uh two to four weeks out. Job description and policy development. I would work with uh human resources on the actual job description and the uh the advertising of the position. Four to eight weeks out
advertisement and recruitment. And then candidate selection ideally would be in November. That's pretty steep deadline. you know, it's it's something that I put out there because there's a lot of change happening fast within the department uh office space acquisition. So, uh you getting office space because
we don't have any uh for the department's clinician is an approved use of the funds. Mr. Hickeyi has an email trail on that and just a full disclosure, there's a lease option for $20,000 a year for a trailer and it's
cheaper to buy one. I got a quote in my hand here. I'm not kidding you. 56,147 for a 32x8 trailer. We have a space picked out uh to the left side of the station. I've had a couple of preliminary talks with Mr. Cucko of uh
facilities department. And I know it's a lot to unpack, which is why I made a phone call to everybody this morning except for Miss Baitman because I forgot. Sorry. Happy to answer any questions. So, I have one quick question. So, you talked about the commit committee. I forget what it's called, but a committee
that has to review um the expenditures. Um did you did you say that the fire chief or somebody from the fire department is also on that? I apologize. I left the fire chief up, but I did mention that this morning in the uh in the department heads meeting. So fire chief and again it's
either one or two members of the board. You're welcome to sit in. I mean it's good to know what's happening with state funds. I mean, purchase of a uh $56,000 item, I'd have to go before capital planning, even though it's not town funds. It's still purchased by the town.
Um, and the rest is the rest is a lot less money than that. I did have one discussion with one of the two chiefs about, hey, we have an opiate settlement fund. What should we be doing to support you folks who are doing this thing as a
resource? And I said, hey, thanks. We'll take it all. And then he said, wait, hold on. So the the guiding coalition should have input on how that would break down. Uh the risk that we run here as a town is that if we don't come up with a a good use of those funds, we
risk it being taken back by the state. So I don't want to see that happen. Uh this is a great opportunity for not only Kingston, but Kingston uh to partner with Plimp and Halifax and and provide a resource to those communities that that as everybody here well knows uh are as budget strapped as this town. Would
would Plumpton and Halifax contribute monthly financially to the off the office and the other? I mean, I already got one offer, so they could contribute something so that we're we're we're using these opiate settlement funds in a more slow and incremental manner. I mean, I didn't I
didn't ask the other guy, but I know that I work well with both of them, and then if I asked for funds for something that they'd be able to contribute. Okay. Yeah. Keith, so just from kind of behind the scenes um of how this would work and the and the
accounting of it all. Um the chief and I have had a conversation already, so he's aware of it. We would have to try to whittle down what the impacts would be in fiscal 26 probably being a supplemental budget request to uh town meeting in October, which would
be fully funded by the grants and the opioid fund. So there's no impact to taxpayers, but we would have to, I believe, raise and appropriate monies to um to operate this uh family services unit. And that's the methodology I think you'd have to use. Just so you're aware
and aren't surprised when we start putting together information for the warrant that that there'd be some sort of amount requested that would be again offset solely by the two revenue sources. The chief had mentioned the intermunicipal agreement that I think the chief mentioned earlier as well. I
think it's going to the impression I get and I don't want to speak for you so correct me if I'm wrong. There'll be a discussion on on how the three communities share those expenses whether it's a percentage somehow based on population or or or
some some matrix. Uh I think that that all three towns are going to are going to have to sign off the intermission agreement and are going to have to agree with you know how the uh how the funds are used and and and uh you know what percentage is going to be assigned by to
each community. So it's I mean I don't it's not going to be anywhere near as complicated as this is the uh the agreement between the towns and the schools. So, I'm not trying to I'm just trying to suggest that it's going to be something just use that same math something. Well, uh no uh it's going to be something that uh you know has has
the same backbone, so to speak, of of an agreement that's just going to talk about what the what the expenses are and how they're going to be divvied up. Um and that all that would have to come back to the board of selectmen for final approval. um and you'll be discussing
the budget um items you know between now and mid-occtober. Thank you. Pension contributions are not covered. Everything else is. So, I think um you know, we've had people reach out um
to to the board with concerns that you know, we would be adding a new program or or expanding a department. When we're looking at the next year, uh the fiscal year is being we potential override. We may may need to be making cuts in some
departments and the optics of of growing are going to look bad and I understand that. But in my opinion, if it's 100% covered by grants, to me, it it I don't care about the optics if it's covered by
something other than our general fund. Well, in taxes, too. I'm just talking about me. So, if I could, um, just to try to piggyback out on that a little bit, I mean, I think the chief has already said at some point down the road there may be a budget decision that has to be
made whether or not, you know, if the grant funds run out, is the program beneficial enough to have it continue or not, or is there another funding source we can find? What I think is important, and I think it dovtales on what you just mentioned, Mr. share is um
the the the funds that we have received uh for the opioid settlements can't be can't supplement or supplant, excuse me, existing budget needs. So, I can't say I'm going to go buy I'm I'm not going to buy three cars for the capital improvement program for the police department or buy two and I'm going to
use the the opioid money for a third one. You can't do that. you have it's it's for new programs um that are being offered to expand upon um the services the police department and other town
departments will have um in in utilizing those funds for the purposes they've been established for. So um so does that mean that we would not be able to use it for the following year for the same things? Oh, I think you can use So you could use it for
because the program is for open. Oh, yeah. No, but you can't So, you know, one of the one of the one of the requests that was that was um brought forward initially was from the fire department to um to to purchase some um
um heart monitors. Heart monitors. And and I I I was I had a concern, frankly, that um knowing that the opioid funds are supposed to be for uh individuals who um have have have had
some sort of experience with opioids. And when you put heart monitors on an ambulance, some of them will be people who have been treated for opioid addiction. Some of them won't be. So, I asked the fire chief to participate in a phone call with me with the uh the agency who's overseeing
um the approval of these funds. We laid out what we were looking to try to do with those. Um they ran the the the the ask up the ladder. Um and and we were told, and I have the email that I'm happy to share with the board, if I
haven't already, um that that will be some planting funds. they'd be used for uh people outside of the the designated people it's supposed to be used for. Um so in that regard that's that's the the
the supplanting of funds that I'm trying to to donate or to discuss using it for two or three or four years for the retirement cost or office supplies or um you know the the the purchase of a trailer uh if we rent it rather than buy
it. Those types of things are fine. Um it's it's you know again not buying ammunition that makes sense right type of thing with it for example. So I again for me just this is just me um I I think the whole idea
to try this and if it's covered by grants um I can defend that. Um you know it's not going to hit hit the taxpayers now. It could in the future for sure. How much is the retirement contribution do we think? I don't know. So, yeah. So,
okay. I was just it you mentioned it as a cost. So, I just knowing that our funds are extremely tight. Just thought I should ask. So, I can get that number for you. I mean, obviously the cont the retirement contributions are based on wages. The wages and again, I don't want to I don't
want to step on the chief here, but I don't there's a process that we're going to have to follow, right? um to have this to have this position be be um identified in a in a grade placed in in our in our wage and personnel policy in
the spring that will identify what this what the the salary of that position will be and and based on the salary the the retirement contribution will be based on the salary. I'm I'm happy to bring back to the board, you know, what we think a a um an employes wage range
would be and provide to the board, you know, what that retirement contribution range would be if you'd like to see that. And I would push back and say how Hampton and Halifax would need to help us with. Absolutely. Yeah. Yep. I I think that's one area that they
would need to. For the purposes of this motion though, what we're being asked is to earmark the opioid set funds essentially indefinitely until you could always vote again a new vote a motion later, right? I mean, if we decided we needed to change
things, we could. I think what I think what what we're looking for as staff is is the um the commitment that the board committing to um utilizing the opioid funds for the purpose that the chief has outlined this evening. And then we'll get into the nitty-gritty and the due diligence and
get the intermunicipal agreement squared away so we can identify specifically how the cost sharing is going to be. We'll set up a budget. We'll bring that budget to the board of selectment to the finance committee uh and ultimately the town meeting to uh request the the necessary funds with the with the with
the supporting re revenue uh sources that will allow uh the public to see that there's no cost to the community. So, this is just before we jump through the hoops of of getting getting, you know, dotting the eyes and crossing the tees, we wanted to come in front of the board to see if the board is supportive
of the program in in in theory. Uh, and if you are, um, then we'll bring back the the, uh, the details of the program and how it's going to be funded and and the board at that point can vote yay or nay. I'm supportive of it in theory. I have concerns about costs, so it'll be ironed
out, I suppose, in the future meetings. Um, but generally, I'm supportive. I mean, Chief, you brought this, I don't know, right as soon as we met you. I think you started talking about a family services unit. So, this is not this is not new. This is not a new idea. Um,
this is materializing at my last employer now. It was one of the last things I did before I left. And we didn't um we didn't have any other requests for this these these funds. Correct. We've had you know I again it's been a while I I made the the school
department, the police department, the fire department I think I mentioned in the in the department meeting um to make sure that this people were aware that these opportunities are out there. I think the uh and we had the the ask uh by the fire department a few months ago and and when we checked with
um the agency that's overseeing the the expense of the funds, they said it wasn't an allowable expense even though and I think you may have heard this already that some other communities around us have purchased the same equipment. Interesting. Um so I don't know how you reconcile that. That's not my my that's not what I'm going to be looking for at this
point. Um, so, um, the other thing I would suggest is that maybe in this like third line down in the motion where we say, um, used by the Kingston Police Department to support the department's implementation of the family services unit and other
department programs. I would suggest that, you know, per the committee that you have to create that we also say another police department, fire department, and maybe school programs. you know, just add that all in there so that it can be used in any way. But what
we're saying in in this regard is that we're putting it under the watch of the police department, although it really has to be decided upon by the group, the the what do we what do we call that? Guiding coalition. Okay. So, the coalition,
it doesn't say that in this motion, though. We're essentially saying we're we support this idea. That's really all the vote is tonight. I think Yeah. and all you and I think when you when the police department comes back with all the final documents, some of the motion will some of the motions will be or or the the the
guidelines and and whatever document the chief brings forward will show that the appropriate uh the process used to approve funds um for this program would be reviewed and approved by you know this this this group of people that have
been identified as the the board of this program. All right. So, if there's no further questions, does someone want to make a motion? I move the board of selectmen earmark the remaining and future opioid settlement funds for the use by the Kingston Police Department to support the department's implementation of a
family services unit and other department programs aimed at mitigating the impact of the opioid epidemic and the reporting of use of the funds shall be to the town accountant. Do you want to amend that to include other departments as well or is it clear with other department
other department programs? I think we're okay leaving. I just wasn't sure because you had asked. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Second. All right. All those in favor? I I against five. Thank you.
5. I get all right. Uh, next item is a request to set the winter plow rates for contracted plow drivers. Um, so we have uh historically relied on contracted plow drivers to support streets, trees, and employees with sanding and salting town
roads. So, we do have a memo from our interim superintendent of streets, trees, and parks uh recommending plow rates and insurance bonus be increased for uh this coming winter. Uh the rates were last increased in the in the winter of 2324. Um, and we do have it broken
down in here. Um, any questions or do you have anything you want to say or just answer questions? In the memo, it says in 2023 we had over 30 hired contractors. Last year we only had 16. Yeah. Yeah. And the rates of the rates lost quite a few. Yeah. Sean, what Sean's done, you see
there's different percentages. The rates have increased depending on the type of equipment. That's really based on the need of the type of equipment we have. Yeah. Um trying to get uh the Kingston rates to be more competitive with some of the surrounding communities. So that's why
there's not a um a specific rate increase across the board uh for some of these. And I remember when we went up last time, it was because the state raised their rates or a lot of people Yeah. Now it's other towns. Yeah. Other towns. And really the the the
bigger trucks on here I didn't go up as high on with last time we did because our trucks were older. Now that we're receiving our newer trucks, there's more of a need for the smaller Yeah. the smaller trucks and that's why we needed to go up asking to go up on the
smaller vehicles. Are we early in setting our rates? Do we set our rates before other communities and then other communities up their rates a little bit over ours just to poach the drivers? That's my question. Well, in a way I like to get them out early, but I don't
I try not We try not to post those rates online until we That's what it is. And I had the discussion with Keith a while ago was like I try to call around to other towns, get them. They're not giving them to us. It's almost like a battle back and forth of who's going to go up first and then follow.
But I can't The problem is we can't wait too long, right? No, understood. To settle. We usually have the contract sent out by the middle of September. Okay. So, we're pretty much as late as we can go. Can they dual contract, Sean? Like, can they contract with Kingston and Dubberry
or Kingston and once they sign a contract with us? Exclusive. It's Yeah, they have to. Yes. Okay. Anybody want to make a motion? I move the board of selectmen approve the winter plow rates included in the board packet and continue to offer an
insurance bonus in the amount of $1,000 as proposed by the streets, trees, and parks interim superintendent this evening. Second. All those in favor? I thank you. Thank you to the board. That will hopefully help us keep our
roads one of the best around on the Southshore. Or maybe always have been. Or maybe it just won't snow, right? Sorry. All right. That's wood. That's wood. Uh, the next item, correct me if I'm wrong, we're back to number seven.
Yeah. So, proposal to upgrade existing EV charging station to a level two 32A dual port EVSSE chargers. Um so um we talked about this in our last meeting about upgrading existing EV
charging stations located townhouse and library parking lots. Comments were received from the public. The company's proposing the upgrade. Um EVSC Solutions is proposing to upgrade the current chargers to level two 32A dual port chargers at no cost.
Um, so Derek, um, Bill Nitser, if I I think he's he is he's here. He is here, but um, he said he might not be at the meeting. Hey, Derek. Um, should be on a train. Yeah. Okay. Um, if anybody has questions about the new SLR, I am more than happy to answer
them, too. So, all right. Uh well, Derek, I appreciate you um taking the time during our last meeting to to um give us some information and also to work with the company to kind of look at what what what they offered. Um I'm just going to read um kind of from an email that Derek
sent me. So, he said he spoke to the company that proposed the chargers. They've provided an updated proposal for smart chargers. While he agrees it's an improvement, he said it's he's not sure it makes sense to spend $50,000 when we already have two chargers in place um
that see relatively low utilization. So he said in fact I'd be more inclined to see new chargers installed at a location like the Adam Center rather than replacing existing units or placed on other townowned land closer to retail to encourage shopping while vehicles are
charging. So he he wanted to share his thoughts since he he might likely not be able to attend the meeting and and I was speaking for him because he's on a train. So I figured it's easier for me to kind of read through this email. Um Keith, do you have anything to add? I don't I brought I brought this forward
um knowing that the the technology that we're looking to install is not state-of-the-art, right? Um it's an upgrade to what we have now. uh it's what's available uh at no cost to the town from my point of view the t if the town can provide a service like
this at no cost um h you know it's it's an opportunity for us to do that if the board wanted to go in that direction I don't think I don't think the town of Kingston is in the electric vehicle charging business um and probably shouldn't be um and so there was an
opportunity to um take advantage of a grant to to upgrade to some degree the existing charging stations that are now at the end of their useful life. Um I I don't know maybe Derek asked as asked this question of the company. I I
haven't uh I don't know if the if the company would be willing to place them um on other town locations at this point. They have not come back to me to ask me um hey would you be comfortable putting it putting it at uh you know the one of the fire stations in the police
station for example. So I don't know if you know the the the challenges the infrastructure uh to the charging stations are there already and I think it would just be maybe as simple as plug and play so to speak moving you know taking one charger out putting one charger in uh I don't
know if if um based on the revenue that we that we uh that we earn from the existing charging stations of less than less than $1,600 I think a year. Um if if you know a
company would be willing to uh yeah all do um if but they did change this is a different charger now but it's going to cost us money. It's not going to cost us money a grant. It's a grant. Okay. So,
they upgraded since the last I think um with because of Derek's um uh questioning. Frankly, I think that that the company um did a better job and presented us with a better opportunity for maybe a a baby step better
charging station. Um but again, their their proposal is to replace the two charging stations that are one at the library and two at at behind the townhouse. I can go back to them if the board would like me to and ask them if they would be willing to put them at two different two additional locations, but
um they're they're just, you know, I know that there's staff in this building that use the station. I'm not sure how many other people do. We had a call or the librarian had a call recently from a um a resident who goes in on a regular basis to the library to read the paper
and they plug in and charge uh and um occasionally I guess the the uh the circuit that the charger is on blows and had blown. So, uh they weren't able to to charge their car for a couple days until they made the phone call saying that they something was wrong and we're able to
fix it very simply by just um resetting the the circuit breaker. So, um, you know, it's really up to the board on how they want to proceed with this. This is So, we could we could ask them to put it into two new locations. I mean, I like
the idea of something near retail, but I don't know what land we Well, I guess the Adam Center, well, even the library is The problem I'm hearing though is that the current chargers need to be placed to make them effective. So, by putting them in new places, you're pretty much losing the two you have. So I guess so my question is will those two that
are already in the existing spots I know they're at the end of their life but what does that mean that they could still work for two more years but then if they stop working then are we on the hook for having them removed to pay for that? So, I think we Yeah. So, we'd be I think we'd be on the hook
to have them removed. I don't I can't imagine, and again, I'm not an expert, so I apologize. I'm making an assumption here to say that I can't imagine it's a significant amount of money to um to shut the power off um legally to those charging stations and remove them and
dispose of them. My personal preference would be to get out of the business altogether. And I know I'm going to be told, well, it doesn't cost us anything, but we're spending 15, 20 minutes discussing it right now.
You're making Derek laugh, by the way. I miss you on the finance committee, Carl. You're you're very missed. Um, yeah, I mean, we could also just wait it out.
I mean, I I appreciate what what the concerns that that Derrick brought forward. I think we have a better proposal, even if it's just a slight proposal. I think there we know there are people using it at the library. We know there are people using at the townhouse. And if those devices aren't working, then it makes sense to replace them.
That's my thought. Okay. I'm not in agreement of putting them in two new places. I think not at this time. Maybe eventually. So, any any other questions, comments? If not, a motion.
I move the board of selectmen approve entering into a contract with EBSE solutions to replace the existing charging stations at the townhouse and Kingston Library with level 2 32A dual port EVSE charges as discussed this evening.
Second. All right. All those in favor I against all right one Derek. Thank you very very much for for um your input and for speaking with this um with this firm. We appreciate it.
Thank you. Okay. Uh number eight, consideration of an approval of one-day liquor license for 42nd Brew and the Bartending Service of New England. You don't have to read all that. I'm not going to. I'm opening it up to a motion. Uh you want me I move the board of Slackman approve the following one-day
liquor license requests. 42nd Brew Company, Kingston Agricultural Fair, 26 Evergreen Street, September 21st from 1 to 4 PM. 42nd Brew Company at Gears and I think it's supposed to say beers, not bears. Car show 26, Walking Road,
September 26th from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. And bartending service in New England, Sip and Stroll, October Fest, 101 Kingston Collection Way, October 4th from 12 to 5:00 p.m. Second. All those in favor? Hi. Hi. All right. That's a good reminder of the agricultural fair. We probably should
Did we say that? We didn't yet because we have announcements. But yes, all right. So, we have um discussion and possible appointment of an interim town administrator. So, um Kim, do you want to Oh, sorry. Yes.
Still taking notes. Okay. So, um, we we discussed a couple of options for interim town administrator and we have a contract before us for consideration. Um, unless there are questions, I move
to execute the interim town administrator contract with George Seamia. Seamia, I don't want to pronounce it wrong. Okay. Um, are we saying effective at a date agreeable by both parties, meaning Mr.
Hickey and Mr. Seamia? I think we're saying effective September 29th contingent on the agreement between Mr. Hickey and Mr. and Mr. Seamia. Works for me. And did you already and I'm sorry I didn't listen to your entire motion. Did you explain where he's coming from?
You can go ahead. So, George has been the Keith is going to serve as the town administrator in Fair Haven, Massachusetts. George has been serving as the interim town administrator in Fair Haven since a long time. January, I think. I think it was before that. I think it
might have been before that. So, we're doing a one for one swap. They're they're getting Keith. We're getting George, which will make for an interesting uh transition. We had originally thought of doing like a oneweek overlap with an interim and Keith. Obviously, that's not going to happen. So, um
they can train each other. They can train each other. They'll probably do m maybe we'll we'll do half a day with them here together for half a day over in Fair Haven for half a day together. I mean, we'll let you guys work that out. Um and whatever will work. So, um
can you also just provide a brief update to everyone on the town administrator search in terms of where we stand on that? The job listing was posted and it it has been posted. I don't know if we've received any applications. We have. Okay. Uh we have received some applications. So that's good. And it's
up until October. What was it? 10th. Right. 10th. Thank you. So a month as of tomorrow. Right. So we're we're moving full steam ahead. Great. Um All right. So did I second on this very long motion? Yes.
I can't wait till someone has to write that up. Poor Trisha. Sorry, Trisha. So, did we get a second? Yes, Don. Okay. All those in favor? I I So, that was unanimous. I will uh I will call both the folks we considered. Okay.
Thank you. All right. So, that was easy. Um discussion on establishing a veterans district with the town of Dubbury. Um Keith, do you want to Yeah, I'd be happy to. So, I'd like to introduce Sarah Lancing. She is our veterans agent and had
suffering through our whole meeting. Her eyes is she's uh she's much more awake than I expected her to be. Um so just for for background, Sarah's been here for a few months now uh is doing an amazing job and and prior to um coming
to work for her hometown, she worked for the town of Dexter as a veterans agent. So she knows both communities really well. Um Sarah was approached, I think initially by the town administrator or staff over in Duxbury about wanting to being Kingston's interest in potentially
forming a veterans district. Um it it was something that that we kicked around frankly when we lost uh our two veterans group and our two veterans admins and uh couldn't get any traction uh with Ducks at the time. So, um,
like make a long story short, what we're asking for this evening is to see if the board will be willing to move forward very similar to I think what we what the the framework of Chief Holmes did this tonight. We would we're interested in seeing if the board would be willing to establish a veterans district with the
town of Ducksbury. What that would mean is Sarah would um be the veterans agent for both communities. She would be the employee of the town of Kingston. uh is part of the model set up for the number of veterans that would be
serviced by both communities. Um I apologize Sarah. Um the I'm assuming um Massachusetts Massachusetts Executive Office of Veteran Services have identified Thank you so much. they they've established
kind of a guideline for staffing levels and what their guideline is for the two communities to have a full-time uh veterans agent and a full-time admin. Um very honestly by adding a second person along with the along with the benefit cost of doing that um there would be it
would it would be cost prohibitive to move forward. So for so Sarah um has um said that she she believes that she can she can handle this with a part-time admin that would not be benefits
eligible. Um so that red significantly reduces the cost. Um the the theory is to have uh Sarah and her admin um in Kingston two days a week and then potentially in Ducksbury two days a
week. Um the thought is that if a if a if a if a veteran in Kingston was in need of assistance immediately and it happened to be a day that Sarah was um in Ducksbury, if there was an issue with that person getting to Ducksbury, we could let Sarah know that and she we
could make arrangements to work collaboratively with Ducks to make sure that everybody's needs are filled. um don't believe for I I don't believe for a second that the the benefit levels and the support that's that's being provided currently is going to be is going to suffer with the formation of a district.
Um there would be a cost savings. So, what what we would be doing basically is the benefits um when I say benefits, the the the expenses that we budget for in Kingston for the veteran services and
the and the and the benefits or the the expenses that Ducksbury budgets for in the town of Duxbury would remain in each community's budget. Right? We would split the cost 5050 for the veterans
agent and the part-time admin position with Ducksberry. That's the only So that would be the cost sharing. So whatever the total cost is for wages and benefits for the two positions, each community would split that down the middle. Based on an estimated budget we have right
now, uh we believe that that will save uh Kingston about $78,000 a year. um which is primarily because primarily the savings from frankly paying half of Sarah's salaries and benefits. Um
we h the town of Ducksbury and it's included in your board packet um was kind enough to put together an agreement that has been reviewed by Ducksbury's council. It hasn't been re reviewed by Kingston, but we didn't want to have them do that frankly at this point until we understood that the board of
selectman wanted to pursue this. Um timeline would be uh ideally uh we would have to again potentially go in front of town meeting this fall and um uh amend the budget to reflect the compensation
for uh two employees rather than just one. Um, we would also be able to again have an offsetting revenue that would more than in this case more than offset the costs that we would be increasing the veterans bud budget by. Um,
once the board of selectman has approved the concept of of a district, um, the the the agreement between both communities would go to the Mass Executive Office of Veteran Services um, and they would review and they would have to approve that document. the
target date to implement this if the board would wanted to move forward with this would be about the 1 of January. Um, so I I again I I want to really give credit to Sarah for stepping up trying to find a way to service both
communities, provide a great service and and ultimately uh is a secondary benefit I guess uh to some others it might be a primary benefit do it at a cost savings to to both communities. So, um, I think it's a win-win opportunity here. We'd love to hear the board's comments. Um,
and if the board's interested in pursuing this, we'll we'll have the document reviewed. We'll put together a final budget. uh we'll bring it back to the board in two weeks and we'll reach out to the uh Massachusetts Executive Office of Veteran Services and and get
them started in in uh the review of the document and making sure that we have dotted all the eyes and crossed all the tees with regards to uh forming that district. Happy to answer any questions. Any questions? That $78,000
potential cost savings, that's for a year. Yes. Okay. So if we start at January 1st, it would really be half that 39,000. Got it. You're absolutely right. And I just want to clarify one thing, Mr. Jackie. Thank you so much. Thank you. Uh Mr. Chairman, board of select. I'll keep it short. Uh Keith said in an
emergency, Kingston residents could come over to the Ducks office or vice versa. It would be encouraged that residents if they need an appointment on Thursday and I'm in Kingston, Dubberry could come here. Um you know, the formation of the district, it would be uh just to continue to serve people as quickly as
we can. Ducks's town hall is 4-minute drive from our town hall. Um, so I think that it's still a pretty reasonable ask uh for residents to go there if they choose to or come here. Thank you. And I'm happy to answer any other questions too. I personally think it's an excellent
idea and I think as we go forward years and years, we keep talking about budget problems. I think that we need to be creative in finding ways to combine uh expenses between various municipalities. Um and I I think that this is a good
start at a relatively small level, but you know, it's just an example of of being able to get something done. I'm old enough to remember when schools first started being regionalized. Oh, no, we can't regionalize schools. Well,
guess what? We did it. I I think that there's going to be more and more push to regionalize other municipal services and every other state does this. I mean, where I grew up, I grew up in uh Fairfax County in Virginia, but there was
something like 18 high schools, 40 middle schools, and like a 100 elementary schools. So, um you know, it definitely works. I believe we looked into this when we were searching for a veterans agent before and
Dbury wasn't super excited about the idea, but yeah, I mean it works now. I'm trying to Yeah. So, I'm trying to again I'm trying to I know you're being diplomatic. I thought it was a great idea back then. Still is a good idea. Keep in mind their override failed. Well, they don't keep in mind they don't
have a veterans agent because they're incredibly qualified veterans agent now is sitting in our building, right? So now we're just going to share. And I would suggest that the the concern that people had years ago about a regional school district was the long wagon rides to and from school.
So I have a question, just one question. I love all of this, but what if nothing Ducksberry goes to their town meeting and doesn't approve this? What happens? So they I believe that the town of Ducksberry uh doesn't have to go to the town
meeting and approve it. Okay. The town of Well, I shouldn't say that the town there's no cost. There's a cost savings to the town of Doxbury because the town of Kingston is bearing the total expense of the So, we're going to show just for argument sake 70 plus,000, $80,000 for a veterans agent plus x
number of dollars for uh an admin. So, let's just say arguably it's $100,000. I've got to show that. Then I'm going to show an offsetting revenue of $50,000 to have a net cost to the town of Kingston of 50,000. Right now, Ducksbury has a cost of say $78,000. Their cost is
going down to 20 to 50,000 as well. So, I believe the only approval that needs to occur is at the border selectment level. The town manager presented this to their board of selectment a couple of weeks ago. They seem to be very supportive of it as well. It is a cost-saving opportunity for them and they're challenging challenged right now
like we are uh with funding. So, uh, I don't think there would need to be a formal town meeting vote for funding, uh, in Duxbury because it would be again ult ultimately a a budget savings to the town, not a budget cost. Would anybody like to make a motion?
I move the board of selectments support the creation of a veterans district between the towns of Kingston and Dubberry and request staff to finalize the necessary for final approval and signature from the board of selectmen. Can I can I just say one last thing? I apologize because I just want to make
sure I say it. So nobody says, "I didn't know that." One of the things that we've got to do, I believe, because of the added responsibilities for Sarah, is potentially look at, and I'm not promising anything, but I'm just saying we need to look at um the the way that
we've graded her salary or her wage or her job responsibilities. And there may be some sort of a a bump from one grade to the next to reflect the additional responsibilities. It may cut into the $78,000 savings, but it's not going to
be significant in my opinion. U, but I I want the board to be aware that with the added responsibilities will be potentially a little bit of an added bump in in salary that will be shared by both communities. So, wage and personnel would look at that. Wage, it's got to go to wage and
personnel and and that would go forward uh in the spring. Um, but I just again I I just want to make sure that everybody understands all the different moving parts that are here. Um, so nobody can say I wish I had known that I might have voted differently. That's all.
Don, can we just amend that to say necessary agreement for final approval? I'll allow it. All right. Did we have a second? Second. All right. All those in favor? I I Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thanks for your patience. All right. Next item is opening special town meeting warrant. Uh the board is required to open special town meeting warrant. Opening the warrant indicates the start of the time the town and citizen sponsored warrant articles can be added to the warrant. The warrant is scheduled to close September 26th. So we
did get a table of contents with possible articles in our board material. Um would anybody anybody have questions or would you like to make a motion up real quick? What I wanted to look at the timeline too just as a reminder while we're thinking about town meeting but um
what's after So, all warrant articles are due to you by the 26th. So, two weeks from tonight, um the board will be reviewing um what we have for warrant articles.
So, they'll go to the finance committee uh for their their review. Uh the big item on the on the warrant that we're aware of at this point is um the funding of a portion of the replacement of the school roof that is being um reimbursed
at about 53% if I if I u remember correctly by Mass School Building Association. Uh but we've got a we've got a gross appropriate the total amount. I I I think one thing that I want make sure again make sure the board's aware of is I believe we have
90 days. It's either 60 and 90 days and maybe Mr. Pike might remember this. I'm not sure. But there would have to be an election. This is going to this would be a uh a a debt override, a debt exclusion, excuse me, for this project
that would require the town to hold a special election to get the the votes they need to uh have this funding be authorized. So, step one is town meeting, step two would be a special election. Uh I've spoken to the to the
uh assistant town clerk. She's trying to identify some some timeline between uh the end of October and the end of January. So, not ideal timeline obviously with with the holidays going on and whatnot. U but there would have to be a special election. Beyond that,
the other big issue that we have frankly at this point is we have a um sidewalk tractor that that is down again and is frankly cost prohibitive to fix. Um the cost is about $225,000. I've got some ideas on how I want to
fund that and I'll bring those back to the board in a couple of weeks or and I'll let you know long before that. Working with some different opportunities knowing that that we can't raise taxes. So, there's some old warrant articles that um may be able to be repurposed um
uh that that we're trying to p uh just piece this together as best we can. The downside in doing that, frankly, is we've got to wait until October 28th to order the order the the piece of equipment. And it takes what, did you say six weeks to get the piece of equipment in? Three weeks.
Three weeks. So, you know, could it snow in in November? Early November, late October. It could. And we don't have the ability to plow sidewalks. Everybody get out your shovel. Um Yeah, everybody can rally together and shovel sidewalks. But um this this was something that was discussed during
the capital planning discussions last year and it was the recommendation that I brought forward to to capital planning to defer this until fiscal 27 because of other priorities. Um so it was not something and I just want to make sure that the board's clear. The
capital planning committee did not deny funding this. Um it was a it was trying to identify the the priorities. It was uh trying to trying to and and after some discussions, we felt like we'll cross our fingers and and and
hope that we get one more year out of the sidewalk tractor. Unfortunately, uh in the summertime with the roadside mowing, it just things started to break that have become cost prohibitive fix. So, we have not done much roadside mowing this summer. Um we've checked it
with the with the with the manufacturer. Can we rent the machine for a little while? um can you know what what options are out there? There aren't. Um the the vendors don't provide rental of this sort of sort of machine with the attachments that we need to do the
roadside mowing and then ultimately potentially the um sidewalk plowing. So um unfortunately we we took a chance and we failed. Uh didn't work out for us. So, um, so this is that's something I really
think we need to look at considering, uh, at the fall town meeting as a priority. All right. Do we does somebody want to make a motion to open the the warrant? Yeah. And then there's another article missing that we need to talk about. Okay. I move selectman open the 2025 special
town meeting warrant at 8 a.m. on September 10th, 2025. Uh, okay. Tomorrow. Yep. Right. Got it. I'm like, "Wait a minute. What?" Second. All right. All those in favor? I I Okay. Um, finance committee talked about
amending their bylaw to say something like three to seven members. So, it's just something we should Yeah, they're just they're struggling because they only have four members and that means they the bylaw requires them to have seven. So, if one person can't come to the meeting, they don't have a quorum, they can't meet. I think that so the the the finance
bylaw, I think, is going to be discussed next week at this at the joint meeting as well. uh because I I frankly I I'd like to have the three groups discuss the timeline for the for the b for the budget because as important as it may be next spring again I understand the
challenges the school departments have in trying to bring a budget forward before April but uh if there's going to be a potential override I just don't know that April's a a time frame that's going to be beneficial for us. So, I'm hoping and I've suggested to the superintendent of
schools and I think this I think the the board selectman saw the email today. I'm suggesting that the school committee if they have a suggest a suggested timeline change that they let us know what that is. We can discuss it at that meeting and if it makes sense to everybody. We bring a bylaw change Florida town meeting this fall uh to change the timeline. Um again,
it's this isn't uh there's no pride and authorship in that bylaw. We we pushed it back a month and um it's really up to the finance committee and the board of selectment about you know how much time they want to have in reviewing you know the school and town budgets right and
we'll push it back I personally think that if you were to change the um bylaw dates by very much you'd be looking at possibly having to change the town meeting date. Yep. I I agree and I again I I but I think
it'd be worthwhile, you know, the these tribe board meetings in my humble opinion should occur quarterly. Um, I just think as much as people don't want to be out of the house for another night, I think it'd be really helpful to have that line of communication. And, um, you know, I'm I'm hoping that the three boards can get together, have a
have a a good discussion about what the what the pros and cons are or making the changes and and then having all the town departments abide by those bylaw dates. All right. Um, any other questions about the
warrant? No, that was the only thing I just knew that finance committee was talking about their bylaw, so I didn't want to forget to bring that up. All right, next item. Acceptance of donation to the Council on Aging. I move the board of select and accept the $25 donation to the Council on Aging from Robert and Melody Casinari. Second.
All those in favor? I I thank you. And reappointment to the Agricultural Commission, Ruie David Santos. I move the board of Slackman reappoint Ruie David Santos to the Agricultural Commission until June 30th of 2028. Second.
All those in favor? I I. All right. And update on the status of establishing a department of public works. So, I have a a little bit of an update. So, we've talked about kicking this can down the road, right, to um
um you know, we we we looking for a new TA. we kind of want to hold off. But one of the meetings that we had um over the summer with the sewer commission and the water commission, I don't remember which meeting it was. It was it was one of the public hearings. Okay. Yep. And one of the members of the sewer
commission had suggested, you know, they were pushing back saying, "Hey, can't we, you know, try to work on communications and collaborations outside of creating a DPW?" and she had mentioned it was one of the sewer commissioners mentioned um creating MOAS orUS to kind of help formalize the
collaboration and process. So um I started working on a draft of anou um uh that could be between the water commission, sewer commission, highway department, police department, fire department. So that um you know you have
the road opening permits that you have like I I like if gas company or anybody needs to do something with the roads they come and and um notify the highway department. So, it would be the same thing with sewer and water. If they were going to do any road work, um any
repairs or any kind of road work that they would do the same thing, fill out a application with the highway department um with with various information in it. Um and then it would um uh then go to the police department and
the fire department. I'm just going to pull This is just an initial kind of brainstorm, right? You're not actually too far down the line, right? Exactly. No, this is just real beginning. Um, so in case anyone watching is like, "Hey, I didn't hear about this." This is the first time talking about this.
It is the first time that I'm talking about it. Thank you. Um, so police department from the why didn't you ask me, you know, conversation. Thank you. It's going to happen anyway. Good point. This is Eric having a little brainstorm in front of everyone. This This is it. Um, and and nobody on
this board has seen this either. So, this is just me putting something together, a draft as an idea. Um, you know, could it was the sewer commission that brought it up and I thought, well, this isn't a bad idea, I think. Yeah, it's not a bad idea, you know, that that they would submit a road work
or excavation permit application, uh, provide copies of the approved permit to the police and fire department to ensure public safety and emergency access and so on. Uh the highway department would review and approve the applications and maintain a central um record of all road
work and then provide guidance on detours, restoration requirements, coordinate scheduling with other town projects, which is important um because that's one of the things that we wanted a DPW director to do to be able to um help coordinate if there are two different projects. if water and
sewer and highway all needed to do something, well, maybe we could save some money by using one company to to do the paving or painting or whatever. Um, the police department would then confirm traffic management and detour plans, providing support for traffic control.
Fire department um would review applications to ensure emergency vehicle access is maintained at all times, advise safety concerns, and coordinate emergency response planning where required. So, it's just kind of formalizing and it would be an agreement amongst the water commission, sewer
commission, and the road commissioners, which is us. Um, and then the superintendent, police chief, and fire chief. So, it would be an agreement that would be a memorandum of understanding. Um, I mean, it could be a bylaw, but it could also just be anou. Um,
I like starting withou. Let's see. Let's see how it goes. And then and then potentially that way then I I feel like the sewer commission, water commissioners won't feel like we're stepping on toes because they're still um uh you know doing what they do today.
But we just one of the big goals of a DPW is to enhance cooperation and collaboration and just visibility into everything that was going on primarily from my point of view the road work. So I mean there's other things procurement doing great.
Yeah. I mean, there's procurement. There's there's things that that where we can save money on procurement. So, there's things we could do that way in anou as well. Is that potentially Can I ask just your thoughts on it? Is that potentially going to add more
time to or work for Sean to have to process through things or what do you what's your thought? We don't mind that. I mean, I think ultimately the goal, right? The goal was to get all the departments working together. I only say that because if that can be if that can be
accomplished with anou instead of the DPW like great I think ultimately the goal of getting everyone on the same page and coordinating is what we were going for right so how how we get you for sure but I think that's I'm curious
it is a good point but I think I think what we have to do and there's ways to do this even with like electron you know a document electronic shareepoint can go into a system into to a database, whatever, uh, where it's tracking all this stuff. Certainly not trying to create more work
for Shawn, but trying to make it so that Shawn knows what's going on. And so would be more proactive rather than reactive to things that the other departments don't know, right? You know, so um, my hope is that this would make, um, uh, the highway
department's job a little bit easier. Okay. You know, sounds good. But, you know, already kind of ran something by him and the police chief. So, I need to get Keith involved. This is literally just theus would go before the water commissioners, the sewer commissioners,
and then we would all execute that if everyone's on the same page. Correct. Love it. Thank you. Um, so that's it. That that's that's the update on the DPW. Uh, meeting minutes. We do have um
a couple here. Somebody want to make a motion? I move the board selectman accept the open session meeting minutes of July 29th, 2025, 5:30 p.m. and July 29th, 2025 6 p.m. as presented. Second. All those in favor? I
I uh TA report. Do you have anything, Keith? Just a couple of quick things if I could. And I don't I'm catching Sean asking this. I I shut it off and I apologize. I I mean, Sean, can you just take a second and just maybe take and let people know
the roads that have been paved? Obviously, you've got a lot of kudos today uh tonight from um the the people on Main Street and again, I think you've tried to be as creative as you could to get that done and and what a significant improvement that is. So, thank you for that as well. Um, but
you know, you're trying trying you're trying some additional methods to to repave roads that that should uh potentially last as long but be less expensive. So, I'm just wondering if you could just take two seconds. What are we paving? What's that reclaiming thing?
And then what else are we doing and what roads are we doing just so people are aware of what's happening? Yeah. So, we finished last week we finished Crescent Street, River Street. They just need to be liner striped now, but those those are completed. Today they finished the new hot and place recycling which is it saves a lot of
money from grinding up the roads. What they do is they just reprocess what's there, add oils to it, roll it. It basically levels it. So now we get to come in in two weeks and just put a top coat over it. So it eliminates grinding it, taking it away, leveling it, and
topping it. So it's about it's about half the cost of that. So they just finished that process today. So in two weeks we'll take care of Grove Street. We also have Ring Road to do that's going to get ground down and repaved. And we have a section at
Grove Street further down. And then we also have Elm Street. So we're going to do Elm Street from Maine down to Brook Street. So we still we we still have that to complete. There's still two more road three more roads to complete. So I I
just I appreciate the fact that Sean has looked at different opportions uh to address the long long list of roads that need to be upgraded and improved and have taken some of the more the latest technology and implemented those after speaking to some communities that
have done some of these new tasks. Yeah, Penrook and uh Halifax has used them for two years now. So they're very happy with it. Yeah. So it's been it's it's been nice. Hopefully the public is seeing a difference. Um certainly driving down Main Street's nice, right? And um some of the other
roads have been great as well. And the other two quick things, um we had a resign resignation of the library, Holly uh Ayanucci, uh who was our youth services librarian, children's librarian has resigned. So we'll be advertising that position in the near future. Um I
thought I had one more thing, but I didn't write it down, so I don't recall what it is. So, I apologize, but um happy to happy to answer any questions the board may have. Just one more meeting for you, maybe. Unless we bring you back as a surprise guest at our
Keep coming. We have an executive next week. Yes, we we should have a um you should come to the fall town meeting as our special guest. I'd be I'd be happy to pop me up and throw uh throw throw rotten fruit at me. It's fine. Or dunk a dunk tank or something. Yeah,
I bounce the budget that way, right? Hey, it's not a bad idea. No, listen. I'm There are worse things that have happened. We could get the fire chief, the police chief. I'm fairly confident if I if those if those guys were throwing, I'm I'm going to stay fairly dry.
Jeez. I've played golf with them. If you stay in the fairway, you're very safe. Wait, no, it doesn't. All right. Was it Was there anything else? All excited. Um I was just going to mention that um for a future agenda we had talked about
background checks and hiring process for department heads. So I don't know if we need to do a policy on that at some point. Yeah. So uh I I spoke to I spoke to um Missy about that last week and working with uh HR director police department. Uh I got a better understanding about
what Missy was looking for. Mhm. So, we'll bring that forward um in two weeks and um I'll share it with Missy Prior, too, to make sure it's what she's looking for and then uh we'll run it by run it by legal and and make sure it it's uh they get their blessing and
uh we'll bring it forward and have the board adopt it. Perfect. Thank you. And then what else do we talk? Uh I thought there was something else, but I can't remember what it was. That's fine. We did have another quick motion to adjurnn. Our next regular meeting is two weeks
September 23rd, 2025. We have another executive right after this. We do have another executive right right after this. So, we need a motion to We do not have that up. Hold on one second. And I didn't either. I will go back to the website.
Sorry. Hold on a second. Um, I just want to make sure I get the language right. kind of it is while while you're looking for that, I I wanted to say one more thing if I could. Uh the work that Kathleen Barrett is doing as our new finance director, and she's been here almost a year now, is
she's really she she gra she got stuck with a a pile of backlog. She's been flogging through that. Uh and I've been driving her crazy with this five-year financial forecast. We hope to have that done later this week, get it out to everybody. But I just again since she's sitting here still somewhat awake um
just wanted to thank her for her. It's riveting stuff. I don't know what you mean. It's wicked boring. Um okay. Thank you. So Oh yeah. No, it's all Yeah. Um so move to adjourn
open session recess to executive session not to return to open session for the purposes purpose of um discussing strategy with respect to litigation if an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the litigating position of the public body and the chair so declares High Pines Corporation versus Town of
Kingston. Second on that if we need it and we need a roll call vote. All those in favor? Eric I. Tim I. Missy I. I. Cal I. And it is 8:20. And we are adjourned.
We've lost everybody online.